WILL STEWART STAY OR GO

Wayne County Outlook

Monticello Sat, May 17 2008

— Since Sports Illustrated broke the story last week that Tony Stewart
would be leaving his current team, Joe Gibbs Racing, there has been lots of
speculation about his future.
Stewart¹s current contract with JGR runs through 2009, and in a
statement, JGR said they expect Stewart to be in the No. 20 for at least
that long.
Whether he stays or goes, there are multiple rumors floating around the
garage area. During a break in practice last week at Talladega, Stewart gave
the news media his version of what is happening.
³We¹ve got multiple offers on the table right now, and there¹s a couple
in particular that really have caught our interest,² said Stewart. ³We
haven¹t made a 100 percent decision yet on what we¹re going to do, but we¹re
going to look at all the options. And the options are exciting, all the way
around.²
Stewart said he has not ruled out staying with JGR, but when he began
negotiating a new contract, other teams approached him with new
opportunities.
³Right now it¹s just a matter of figuring out what we want to do, and
being smart,² he continued. ³We¹ve had a great run at Joe Gibbs Racing. It
doesn¹t mean it¹s over. We¹re just going to look at everything that¹s out
there.²
Stewart said a couple of the offers included ownership, and the thought
of running his own team appealed to him. Stewart said he has not discussed
owning a portion of JGR with owner Joe Gibbs.
³Right now we¹ve not asked to be released out of our contract,² Stewart
said. ³They know there are other offers on the table and we¹ve said, ŒWhat
if this is the case? And what if this is presented to us? Is there a
possibility we could be released from our contract early?¹ But we have not
asked to be released from our contract.²